Ancient Agora of Athens | Walking Tour [4K HDR]

[4K HDR] In ancient Greece, the Ancient Agora used to be the center of the public life of the locals.
The Agora was the seat of administration, justice, and the main place for trade and business. In the pre-classical years, the Agora was an additional gathering place for the ecclesia, the assembly of the people of Athens, and at the same time, a stage for theatrical competitions and sports performances.
In all eras, from the archaic years until 267 AD, when it got completely destroyed by the Heruli, the Agora was also a popular destination for the social and spiritual get-togethers of the Athenians.
Here is a breakdown of the most important public buildings and monuments that the Ancient Agora used to host during its peak:

Tholos or Skias: A circular building also known as Prytaneion that was the social seat of the democratic administration of the 50 Prytaneis (Rectors), who each ruled for one-tenth of the year (36 days).
The word "Prytaneion" is from greek "pyr" fire, and in this building apart from the social function the holy fire was held, which means that was consecrated to goddess Hestia. Every greek city had such building, and greek settlers when they founded a new city built a Prytaneion to held the holy fire of Goddess Hestia from the metropolis, the city of origin.
Every day in ancient Athens, a draw took place to decide the head of the Prytaneis (rectors), whose term would then only for 24 hours. In the building of Tholos in Athens Ancient Agora, prior to the meetings, the co-rectors used to make prosphores (offers) to god Apollo and goddess Artemis, who were worshipped there along with chthonic lower deities who protected the public life of Athens.

Altar of the Twelve Gods: The Altar of the Twelve Gods in the Athenian Agora was built in the 6th century and served as a starting point for measuring distances.

Bouleuterion: In the archaic years, the deputies met in the open space of Bouleuterion, the name of which translates to ‘Parliament’ in Greek. In the Classical Era, the Parliament consisted of 500 deputies, which is why Greeks usually refer to it as ‘ the Parliament of Five Hundred.’
each of the 10 tribes of Athens selected 50 of its representatives by drawing a lot. The term of each member of the Parliament lasted for one year.

Metroon: A building that dates back to Hellenistic times, Metroon used to be the registry of Athens. All the votes, written on papyrus, leather, or wooden boards, were deposited there, along with any other official documentation of the ancient times. The State of Athens hired a special officer to arrange and store these documents.
In the same building where the public documents were kept, people also used to worship the Mother of Gods Rhea, which is why the great goddess, queen of the Titans used to be depicted in Greek Mythology as the ‘guardian’ of the archives.

The stoa of Zeus Eleutherios: A place of rest for the Athenians with wonderful paintings by painter Euphranoras. It was built in the 5th BC.

The Stoa Poikile: On the north side of Athens' Ancient Agora Stoa Poikile (Painted Porch) included magnificent paintings by painter Polygnotos, such as the one depicting the battle of Marathon. In addition, it gave its name to Stoic philosophy since its founder, Zeno, taught here.

The monument of the Eponymous Heroes: Long pedestal with a railing of the 5th century BC on which the citizens rested. The statues of the heroes of the ten tribes were erected at the monument. It was the information center of the Athenians, as that was where public announcements were hung.

Panathenaic Way: It used to start from the district of Kerameikos, pass in front of the Stoa of Attalos and the Eleusinio, and end at the entrance of the Acropolis. It was the route of the procession of the Panathenaic Games, the most significant celebration of the Athenians in honour of their patron goddess.
Every four years, during the summer, the Athenians, led by the leadership and the wheeled trireme (which carried the goddess's veil), went up Panathenaic Way and walked on the Acropolis. This majestic procession is depicted on the frieze of the Parthenon.

The Stoa of Attalos : A two-story Stoa consisting of shops, which was built by king of Pergamon Attalos II in honor of his teacher, Stoic philosopher, Karneades, and the Athenians.
It was completely restored in the 1950s by the American School of Archeology, which since 1931 has been conducting excavations in the Ancient Agora. The Stoa now functions as a museum. The exhibits were found in the excavations of the Ancient Agora and give a representative picture of the democratic practices of ancient Athens.

Temple of Hephaestus: In the Ancient Agora lies one of antiquity's most beautiful Doric temples. It was built in 449 BC and was dedicated to two gods, the god Hephaestus, patron of metallurgy, and the goddess Athena Ergane, patroness of the arts.

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